Yoga Journal Cover Model Contest – Vote Now!

Here we go yoginis and blokes! The Yoga JournalCover Model Talent Contest (ed. note: word from YJ there’s no guarantee of cover) is in voting phase! We put out the call for everyone to submit their photos and represent. Now it’s time to show your support and vote for your favorites!

Sure, there are over 2500 entries and they are NOT sorted by top ratings, and YJ editors will have final say, but let’s get on over there and voice our votes!

Warning: You must do a search for name or email to vote. Rather pesky, we know.

Yogis! If you’ve entered your photo in the contest let us all know in the comments!

I think it’s great that people are so enthusiastic to share their passion for yoga. However, my question is this: What message are we (meaning the Yoga community) portraying about yoga when we picture the “perfect” yoga asana? How about YOGA for EVERY BODY Type? I think a kinder message would be to have different yoga body types portrayed on the cover, to be inclusive of all forms of Yoga types. That’s my 2 cents worth.
Sony Trieu
Blissful Thai Yoga Therapist
Staff Writer forhttp://www.dharmalounge.net

Namaste! I submitted my picture (taken in windy 30 degree weather!) to the Yoga Journal Readers’ Choice Talent Search. I am 24 years old and have been practicing religiously for a year come May. I am so enthusiastic about continuing to improve my practice; I began my 200 hour teacher training certification and am signed up for the Yoga Conference in NYC. I hope that you can vote for me!

I will be submitting a few (warmer) photo’s of my postures to YogaDork soon! Peace peace peace, Elena

I am almost afraid to point out my submission here, considering some of the recent banter. There seems to be a bias against someone with a lean body demonstrating asana. I’m a 37 year old mother of two and am very dedicated to my yoga practice – asana being just one aspect. The reason I entered this contest is that I am a yoga teacher struggling financially and any kind of publicity will assist in expanding my education and increase the quality of instruction that I can offer my students. I could care less about looking ‘perfect’, whatever that means – but I’m not ashamed of executing a strong and well-aligned asana.

Hey Nadine.
What a wonderful photo. I want to say how much I admire your fitness…especially as a mother of two. I am a 35 year old mother of a one year old and am struggling very much with making time for my practice. You are an inspiration to me.
Embee

Thank you, Embee! Parenting and maintaining a regular practice is so hard. I was a single mom for the first 6 years of my older daughter’s life and I wasn’t able to really make a space for yoga practice until I married. More recently, I didn’t return to my regular practice until my now-toddler was about a year old. Even now, it’s a struggle and if I didn’t practice early in the morning, I don’t know how I’d make time. I have to get up at 5 am, and with a kid who still wakes up to nurse, it’s never a full-night’s sleep. Having an baby is a very rewarding and beautiful practice and has taught me more than asana ever did. Asana will eventually come and then you have the rest of your life. Your babe is only little for a short time. Savor that sweetness!

I also want to include that I AGREE that Yoga Journal should include more body-types, variety of ethnicity, and cultural representations on its cover and within its pages. I totally get where the ‘anti-perfect’ backlash is coming from and don’t deny the privilege that is inherent in my appearance. I’m voting for y’all dorks, good luck!

Woah now, that’s not my aim. I’m not trying to differentiate myself, just the opposite. I’m just acknowledging that I may fit the stereotype that people may backlash against (which came up early in the thread), and that there is *good reason* considering the one-sided representation of yoga models in YJ. I don’t deny or ignore privilege in our society – it takes many forms: racial, religious, economic, etc. It may not be ‘PC’ to admit, but in my mind, it’s the only way to come to terms with inequality based on bogus reasoning on a larger societal level. Me? I’m a skinny white girl. I know that gives me an advantage in many situations, and it’s unfair and it sucks. Maybe I’m extra aware of it because I live in the South. Maybe it’s because I have a background in human services working with under-served populations. Your point about the backlash is what I am agreeing with here, I am sorry if I worded it in a way that was taken as inappropriate. I wasn’t trying to offend in anyway, I think you misunderstand me. If you knew me, you’d realize that what I am trying to say comes from a place of acceptance and unity rather than differentiation.

I fully understand you. I am not skinny and not fat, but I’m not young, either. And I am of strong opinions. So, whenever I post an opinion to a thread – the map not being the territory – it gets filtered by the respondent (or blogger’s) life experience.

Hola Yogi amigos! I like to think of myself as representing the athletic-but-not-thin-folks-over-50 who practice yoga because it makes them feel so damn good! Who needs to confine their practice to dreary colors just so they won’t stand out because they are packing a few extra pounds? Check me out in the YJ talent search and while you’re at it through a vote my way!! Thanks!http://talentsearch.yogajournal.com/view/2805

Yeah, I voted for you. Being over 55, we have to represent.
I would like over 55 year old NYC people to get me to vote for them. Even if you look like Bette Bakasana – that 88 year old yoga teacher from Australia. I make exceptions for my preferences in an environment where young people have as much as hijacked the practice!

Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable about the way that the YJ contest is set up? I mean, I didn’t enter, but if I did I think that I would feel really bad if I only got one or two stars. Then the people who have more online friends and savvy can drum up more votes – seems like some sort of weird popularity contest. I think that I’d rather just have the gallery, which is cool, and then have a panel of editors pick their favorites and explain why. I know that voting is supposed to be more democratic, but in this context I’m not liking it.

Carol, I agree. I thought that we’d be scanning a gallery of photos and voting on ones we liked. Today I received an email from Yoga Journal encouraging us to promote ourselves to get votes. I mean, I can post “vote for me!” on my facebook status, but it’s not like I have a a huge online presence. I am also not terribly comfortable promoting myself…I liked the idea of voting on random mysterious people. This sort of takes the fun out of it…

Nadine! I am totally with you! I hate the “like me” and “vote for me” drama of it all. Feels like some sort of marketing strategy for them? I submitted anyways, thought a creative pic with my baby would be good to be seen in the magazine! So many moms out there now trying to hold it together…can only try 🙂

Enjoying the comments above, and agree that there is something pretty bizarre about this process and the “star” system. But hey, if it gets us thinking and talking about image and competitiveness in yoga, all the better!

My photo shoot was part of a group session inspired by the lovely and amazing Anna Guest-Jelly of CurvyYoga.com

the entire process makes my skin crawl. whoever has the most friends vote them wins? imagine how you would feel if after all this time you garnered only one or two stars among the five star people. nice way to uplift ourselves via yoga.

the YJ editors should have picked someone and be done with it. but I guess that’s the American way: one more popularity contest, even in yoga.

thank you all for posting and commenting! good luck to those who entered. We yogadorks are rooting you on, and frankly, give you major props for putting yourself out there!

just wanted to chime in about the whole rating thing. Not sure the logic behind the star rating, rather than just votes, and also not sure how the editors are actually tallying (rating vs. # of votes). We’re not super fans of the star system, and it does seem to turn into a pop contest, but we figure all in good fun. We shall see.

In any case, it’s cool to see a mix of yogis (again, it’s still the mix of yogis willing to snap pics and have them posted on the interwebs for the public, but a mix nonetheless).

And we’re super proud to be hosting our own gallery o’dorks, for anyone wishing to express their passion, playfulness and/or appreciation for the practice.

1) The Gallery o’Dorks is utterly cool. Ever so much more intersting than the YJ compilation. The quality of photography is generally better as well!

No longer do I just use my public displays of yoga to gleefully show off at cocktail paries. (Hey, I’m an old broad so I’m entitled right?) I’m now shamelessly displayed in both the G o’D and the YJ’s popularity contest (however, my diva dog has more self respect and is only hanging with the Dorks).

2) The YJ has indeed made for some perplexing voting. This does look like its just a wierd popularity contest. And, why is it that today when when they decided to limit the number of votes per day per photo, they blocked all computers on a network even if different people used the various computer terminals within the building? So much for voting from offices or group homes, etc. And what the heck do the stars + or – equate to anyways???

We all seem to be in agreement that the star/rating method is a bit odd and definitely unnecessary but I do have to say I am glad to see YJ chiming in today to block multiple votes from the same IP’s or networks or whatever. There were some mysteriously popular photos yesterday (5,000 votes in 8 hours!? hmmm….) so the way I figure, I’d rather have that kind of tactic eliminated even if it means my coworker can’t vote for me either.

Yes, I submitted a photo also and I know that my tattooed body and such may not be right up YJ’s alley but since when did yoga get an official rule book?? I think defying that was part of why I submitted in the first place 🙂http://talentsearch.yogajournal.com/view/2311

OK, I gotta say I love Maria (#46) http://talentsearch.yogajournal.com/view/46 because she seems like an average person trying to do her best in yoga, like MOST of us. The YJ cover models don’t usually inspire me because I’m just a working person with other activities and I feel like I’m doing pretty well to get to one yoga class each week and don’t seem to be able to establish a good home practice. I’m just an ordinary schmoe. I can’t afford the perfect yoga clothes that I see advertised in YJ and on their cover models, so I make do with whatever was on sale at target. I love seeing Maria there in her jeans and sneakers, doing an imperfect Warrior 3. VOTE FOR MARIA!! She seems kinda awesome.

That’s Warrior 2, and that had been exactly me about a little over three years ago. Although, technically, I was practicing yoga many times a week, but external to any yoga class, in the corner of a gym —totally alone and on my own.

The frequent, studio-led-class practitioner snobbery is evident in many of the entries; and, frankly, it is not nice. Yoga Journal may not have had primarily home practitioners as a target market when they’d started publishing. Yoga may have gone commercial, but I applaud mass-media efforts to share the wealth of teachings (and “studio secrets”) by the likes of Sadie Nardini and even Tara Stiles (she should just unbundle “slim” and “sexy” from it, and we’d do fine …)

And I did vote for Maria … she’s awesome.

And I DIDN’T vote for a former teacher I’d had, though I was tempted to, who mentioned the name of the studio at which she teaches about THREE TIMES in her entry …

Hey y’all! I’m so excited to be part of this yoga journey and it’s just great to feel the energy flowing from all of you 🙂 I’ve happily entered the Yoga Journal contest just for fun and because I LOVE the practice, both as a Teacher and as a Student.

Send a sistah a vote! lol 🙂 You’ll notice my pose is one of my favs, Lord of the Dance. I just feel so free and powerful in this pose for it reminds me and I hope all of you who are yoga lovers, even if you’re not, we are each dancers, even if you don’t think you are. We’re all in the dance called Life learning the steps from all avenues…including, yoga!

Blessings to each of you in your practice! May we continue to inspire and empower each other 🙂

I couldn’t decide between this one, and the one on my website. Lunge or full splits with little baby over my head??? What do you think? The lunge seemed more “beautiful” but the splits harder…. 🙂

Check it out! Any vote would be appreciated too! It is my dream to one day visit California and take some good yoga classes over yonder! The kids have slowed down my practice, but I am still incorporating it off the mat. Thanks yogadorks, and keep on bloggin!

Nadine, I love your point earlier in the thread about why you submitted (as in any recognition that would help you become a better teacher and possibly help financially). I am in the same boat. I also admire your dedication to yoga with two children, and loved your photo and write up. It is so nice to connect with other mother yogis!!